UP NEXT FOR CARAGHER IS PICKING STAFF FOR SPARTANS

Some USD assistants likely to follow coach to San Jose

Now that he has left USD for San Jose State to be that school’s new head football coach, Ron Caragher must pick a staff of talented assistants to keep the Spartans in the Top 25 and bowl worthy.

Caragher said late Monday that he likely will take some of his assistants from USD with him and possibly blend them with a few staff members who remain from former Spartans head coach Mike MacIntyre’s staff.

“I really don’t want to give any names right now, but when you come into a program like this that has had so much success and is a Top 25-ranked program, on one side you need continuity, but also I need assistants I feel comfortable with,” Caragher said. “Recruiting and getting a good start will be important, so I’ll bring in some guys I’m familiar with and try to strike a good balance on the staff.”

Caragher said the announcements on those staffers will “trickle” out over the next week to 10 days. Those most likely to follow MacIntyre to Colorado include defensive coordinator Kent Baer, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Brian Lindgren, defensive secondary coach Charles Clark and defensive line coach Jim Jeffcoat.

Caragher remembers that his USD predecessor, Jim Harbaugh, took four assistant coaches from USD to Stanford. They included Lance Anderson, Shannon Turley, Tim Drevno and David Shaw. Anderson and Turley are on Shaw’s staff at Stanford now, and Drevno followed Harbaugh to the San Francisco 49ers.

Caragher said again that moving on was “bittersweet,” especially since he was leaving a team that rallied for him from 2-3 to finish 8-3 and get a share of the Pioneer Football League title. But as much as he hated to leave, he knows the move is best for himself and his family.

“They’re (Toreros) going to be really good next year and have a great chance to be the first Pioneer Football League team to make the NCAA playoffs,” Caragher said. “I’m just real excited about the challenge that lies before me here. This is a top-ranked team that will enter the Mountain West next year. I’ve learned that we grow the most in life when we face the biggest challenges.”